Thursday, December 10, 2009

It's the end of the decade. So it's time for some lists. Today's list is the Worst NBA Draft Picks of the past decade.

11. Jordan Hill, #8 2009, Knicks: It's very very early to proclaim Jordan Hill one of the worst draft picks of the decade, but I'm going to do it anyway. The Knicks needed a point guard and Brandon Jennings was on the board. With all D'Antoni's ties to the Italian League you would have thought he might have had a good scouting report, apparently not. Hill already has 12 DNP-CDs while Brandon Jennings is the new big thing in the NBA.

10. Yaroslav Korolev, #12 2005, Clippers:Korolev totaled just 34 career games with the Clippers before running back to Russia to play for Moscow. The Clippers could have gone in the right direction and grabbed Danny Granger. Instead they got 34 games of 39 total points and 16 total rebounds. Woo.

9. Fran Vázquez, #11 2005, Magic: Maybe you've heard of Fran Vázquez and maybe you haven't. Essentially this Magic draft pick has decided to continue playing in Europe and really hasn't shown any desire of coming over to the states. Now that's a complete waste of a pick.8. Rafael Araújo, #8 2004, Raptors: Araújo lasted three seasons in the NBA, just two with the Raptors, and never averaged more than 3.3 points per game. Super athlete Andre Iguodala was drafted at #9.

7. Dajuan Wagner, #6 2002, Cavs: In 2002 the Cavs selected Memphis point guard Dajuan Wagner. Wagner was a shoot first point guard who didn't quite fit with their #1 draft pick the following year, Lebron James. In 2004 Wagner fell ill ulcerative colitis and was never the same. The Cavs could have selected either Amar'e Stoudemire or Caron Butler. Either of those guys would likely have helped the Cavs the past 8 years.

6. Nikoloz Tskitishvili, #5 2002, Nuggets: Sometimes the foreigner well just does not go right. In 2002 the Nuggets went and took lots of Is and got little playing time in the NBA before getting run back to Europe. Like the Cavs with Wagner they could have had Amar'e or Caron.

5. Shelden Williams, #5 2006, Hawks: Shelden Williams was a great player for Duke in college. The problem is that college power does not always translate to Pro power. Shelden Williams is undersized and nothing more than a 10th man in the NBA. The Hawks already had plenty of wing athleticism at this point but the addition of Brandon Roy who was by far the best player in the draft and fell to the #6 spot couldn't have hurt.

4. Joe Alexander, #8 2008, Bucks: Alexander had a mediocre first season to the point where the Bucks decided that he wasn't even worth picking up the his third year option making him the highest draft pick to ever have that rejected.

3. Adam Morrison, #3 2006, Bobcats: I and everyone else should have seen this coming. Morrison played no defense in college and was soft, as evidenced by the tears. In the NBA Morrison had one season where the Bobcats continually played him. After that they realized that they were a better team with him on the bench.

2. Kwame Brown, #1 2001, Wizards: Good ole Kwame Brown. MJ came to the Wizards and opted to go snatch the High School kid that wasn't any good. Even Eddy Curry, selected 4th, was more worthwhile than Kwame Brown. Of course the Wizards probably should have selected Pau Gasol who went #3. Whoops.

1. Darko Miličić, #2 2003, Pistons: Darko isn't the worst player on this list but he is by far the worst selection of the past decade. The Pistons were able to win a title with him on their roster but that doesn't make us forget the what if. With the #2 pick in the draft the Pistons had the option of selecting Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh. Three perennial all stars. Instead they selected Miličić and got absolutely nothing.

Honorable Mention: The Entire 2000 Draft Class because it was seriously miserable. Jay Williams but you can't really blame the Bulls for a motorcycle accident. The Suns just selling off several of their draft picks including the one that led to Rajon Rondo.